A bankruptcy sale next month will separate Metropolitan National Bank from its insolvent parent company and bring the bank much- needed capital. (Mauren Kennedy)

Perhaps no one can appreciate the battle to save Metropolitan National Bank more than Susie Smith, Metropolitan's senior executive vice president, COO and CFO. Her testimony at a July 26 hearing in Little Rock's U.S. Bankruptcy Court offers a glimpse inside the embattled, former $1.8 billion-asset lender.